Anchoring device for coal and other mines



Aug. 28, 1951 w. VOGEL 2,566,003

ANCHORING DEVICE FOR COAL AND OTHER MINES Filed Oct. 2, 1948 FIG 1 and thus cause engagement of the roof by the Patented Aug. 28,1951

' UNITED STAT PATEN T qrrics ANCHORING DEVICE FOR ooAL AND OTHER Y MINES- Walter Vogel, Santiago ole-Chile, Chile, assignor Y to Mavor & Coulson Limited, Glasgow, Scotland , Application October 2, 1948, Serial No. 52,530

In Great Britain July 7, 1947 1 Claim. (cl. 262-,8)

I "This invention relates to a machine of a previously proposed kind for mining coal and other minerals in which the machine comprises a transwhich the vehicle is advanced stepwise by a hydraulic cylinder-and-ram propulsion unit working against an anchoring device. The object of the present invention is to pro- 'vide an improved anchoring device which will exert on the mine floor and roof a grip that increases in some proportion to any increase in the force exerted on the device by the machine that it serves to anchor and which in the stepwise advance of the machine will quickly take its grip in each new position and will easily release itself for the next advance from that position.

According to the invention, in a machineof said ram, said links being angularly related to act as a toggle linkage, and means acting on said links to widen their angular relationship,

upper shoe.

Means are provided for limiting the range of variation of the angular relationship between the upper and lower links. The extent of variation is such that the maximum widening of the angular relationship between the upper and lower links is less than 180.

Preferably in order to maintain approximate constancy in the height of the joint in relation to the floor, the lower link is a simple non-extensible link; whereas on the other hand, in order to allow for substantial adjustment such as will be required to suit roofs of difierent heights, the upper link is extensible in length.

The invention is illustrated by the accompanying diagrammatic drawing, in which: Fig. 1 is an elevation of an example of the anchoring device applied to a coal-mining machine, and Fig. 2 is a corresponding plan. Fig. 3 is a detail View.

The anchoring device shown is connected to a coal-mining machine of the kind stated in which the machine is a transportable vehicle characterised by a leading wedge Ill that is thrust forwards in the manner of a chisel to cut in a vertical plane parallel to and behind the coal face,

portable vehicle having mineral-splitting means 1 for wedging ofi the mineral from a seam and in pump l6 and tank [8.

. 2 the vehicle being advanced stepwise by a hydraulic cylinder-and-ram unit I I, I2, which is mounted on the frame l3 of'the vehicle and addraulic ram" [2 is pivotally connected to a joint pin l4 incorporated in the anchoring device.

' The machine shown includes a driving motor [5, a hydraulicpump l6 driven from the motor through gears I1, a tank [8 for hydraulic fluid (usually oil), and a distributing valve [9 to control the supply of oil between the cylinder H, Pipes 20 lead from the valve I9 to opposite ends of the cylinder I l The machine shown also includes in addition to the wedge l0, co-planar upper and lower wedges 2| and 22 for stripping oif coal above and below the level dealt with by the wedge In in front, a shovel-like cutter 23 -for scooping up coal -from themine floor A, and an adjustable roofc'utter 24 for stripping down coal from the mine roof B. The components 22 and 23 co-operate to liftand-"deflect outwards such coal as'maybe -scooped'up.

" The constructionaldetails of the machineform -'no part of the present invention, the machine being described herein to'illustrate a use to which the" anchoring device can be put and as an 11- lustration" of a mining machine in combination with which the anchoring device can be used.

The anchoring device comprises mainly a jack respectively consist of flat-faced slidable shoes 21 and 28, each of which is pivotally connected by a pin 29 or 30 to the upper or lower link of the device. The lower shoe 21 is made as a substantial sole plate. The upper component 25 consists of two screw-jack units each of which can be extended and contracted lengthwise in a manner usual with screw jacks. The lower link 26 is a non-extensible link, which may be much shorter than the screw-jack units, when fully contracted, to suit the comparatively low level at which it is preferable to arrange the cylinder-and-ram unit M2. The joint of the anchoring jack assembly, namely the pin l4, interconnects the hydraulic ram [2, the upper link 25 and the lower link 26, the arrangement being such that said links can vary their angular co-relationship and also such that the joint is maintained at a constant level in relation to the ground despite changes in such co-relationship. This arrangement may consist in providing a short vertical slot IZA in the ram end, the slot being penetrated by the pin l4.

Provision may be made for limiting the range of change in the angular relationship between the link 25 and the link 26. The arrangement, for instance, might be such that when the upper and lower links '25, 2B adopt their widest co-relationship, they are about 175 apart; and, when they adopt their closest co-relationship, they are about 130 apart. These two limit are defined by any appropriate stops. Such limit stops, in the example, are provided by a pair of struts 3i pivotally connected to extensions 32 'ofthe shoe 27, there being one strut to-each. jack-unit of.the link 25. Each strut is made with a fork portion 33 having holes 34 through any two of which two limit pins 35 may be inserted. Each jack unit passes through the fork portion 33 of one of the struts 3!. so that the pins 35:are engaged by the jack-unitt at the limits of its range of. angular movement in relation to the lower-link :26.

Means are provided for urging the upper and lower links 25,26 lightly apart. ,In the example,

the-means provided (shown only in Fig.1) include a two-limbed spring 36 anchored to a bracket .37 on the shoe :Z'Lone limb pressing "against the link 25 and the otherlimb pressing against the link 26. The spring means also include a-blade spring 38'which is anchored to a pin 39 on'the shoe 21 and presses in the link widening direction upon the joint incorporating 'the'pin I4. These spring means urge the upper and lower. links apartso that they tend to exercise a comparatively light grip on the floor A "and roof B.

In operation,"the'anchoring deviceis placed in lightly grips the floor A and roof B. The valve 19 is manipulated so that the hydraulic ram H of the wedge machine is thrust powerfully rear- '-wards, the force being applied directly to the joint I! of theanchoring device, which therefore extends as the angular relationship between its upper and lower links 25, 26 widens. In accordance with the well-known toggle-link principle, the gripping force exercised by the foot and head Hand 28 of the devicegreatly'increases-as the angular co-relationship widens under the force 4 applied by the ram II. A point is reached at which the device grips the floor and roof with adequate strength, and thereupon the wedge machine is advanced to do its work upon the coal seam.

-At-theend of the working" stroke of the machine, the valve I9 is manipulated so that the ram II is drawn forwards so that the anchoring device is caused to relieve its grip between the fioor and roof. A point is reached at which the anchoring device slides, being pulled forwards by the ram into a new position, in readiness to provide-an anchorage for the next working stroke.

especialadvantage of an achoring jack according to this invention, when used in combination witha wedge-cutting machine, is that thejack vis transported quickly from position to position without need for adjusting it to slacken its .grip and re-adjusting it to take a new grip.

I claim:

-A miningmachine of the kind stated in which the propulsion unit-includes a reciprocable hydrau-li-c ram, said machine having an anchorage device comprising slidable lower and upper shoes engageable with a mine floor and roof-respectively, lower and upper links to which said shoes are pivotally connected respectively, a pivotal joint inter-connecting said links and connecting them to saidram, said links being angularly related'to'act as a, toggle linkage, means acting on said links to widen their angular relationship andthus cause engagement of the roof by theupper shoe, and means for limiting the range of varying the angular relationship between the lower and upper links, said means comprising a strut which is pivotally connected to one of the shoes and which has stops engageable by the upper link at the ends of a predetermined range of movement.

WALTER VOGEL.

REFERENCES CITED The following'references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,212,382 Morgan Jan. 16, 1917 1,675,723 Morgan July 3, 1928 2,093,448 Joy Sept. 21, 1937 2,420,755 Mavor May-20, 1947 

